Help/Advice - Sugar Detox?

You have motivated me to give up sugar as well...I just ate a delicious pumpkin spice cookie, but I don't think the addiction of sugar is worth it. I am tired of feeling drawn to sweets to cope with my problems. I want out!

Thanks to everyone for your input/advice. It is overwhelming the amount of people willing to help out to someone new here like myself so thank you all very much!

With that said I have decided what I plan on doing. My goal is to initially cut out things like chocolate, cookies, candy, chips, ice cream, cakes, white breads, white pastas, white rice, etc. The obvious sugars. I am also going to start limiting my intake of diet pepsi and not buying it to have in my house. If I want to drink it it will be once in a while when we are out to eat or something IF I really want it.

I know that it will be hard at first and I will go through withdrawl, but I can handle it. To be honest I just detoxed myself from a percocet dependancy I had for some pain I was experiencing. I noticed that my body was addicted to the drug even though mentally and emotionally I was not. I weaned myself off of these and was warned about serious withdrawal symptoms. I got off lucky, thank God, but if I can handle something like this I should be able to handle the other drug I am addicted to, sugar :)

Sodium is an essential substance for your body to maintain the balance of liquid in your body and to do litte, but oh so important things like regulating blood pressure.

Too much is not good. But none at all is even worse.

Now, I'm quite sure that it's a case of sloppy phrasing and the poster didn't really mean removing all sodium but were probably talking about salt to reduce your sodium intake. Which is for most people a good thing as in general sodium intake is often too high.

Still. Please do not follow the advice of removing all sodium from your diet, if ypu managed to do so it'd be very bad for your health indeed. Dirt nap kind of bad.

I've gone cold turkey before. It was possible because I was fully prepared to eat foods that I didn't enjoy as much as sugary foods, and I was fully prepared to cook all my meals every day. I'm a vegetarian and I did it in conjunction with eliminating some other foods (wheat, most dairy, caffeine, etc.). I followed the elimination diet 100%, with not even the slightest second of "cheating" for three months, and then followed it closely for a long time afterwards. Over time I returned to more "normal" eating habits but I remain conscientious of my sugar intake.

A sample breakfast was something like unsweetened puffed brown rice cereal with plain soy milk, or oatmeal with soy milk, or eggs scrambled with fresh herbs.

For lunch I would usually have a salad or homemade vegetable soup.

Dinner was things like brown rice with steamed vegetables and tofu, or dal (cooked lentils) with rice and curried vegetables...

For a snack I would have plain (unsweetened) yogurt or homemade hummus on gluten-free crackers.

I avoided "hidden" sugars like fruit juice, flavored yogurt, etc.

Edited by: HOLISTICDETOXER at: 3/14/2012 (20:41)

SAMANTHATAN127
Posts:
60
3/14/12 1:11 P

although it would be better to completely stop sugar, i just don't think it's possible. eventually you're cravings are going to get to you and you're going to cave in and completely over-indulge, canceling out all your hard work. i personally would suggest weaning yourself off of it - limit yourself to one dessert per day rather than two, one cookie a day instead of three, one hershey kiss rather than a candy bar, one glass of juice rather than a bottle, etc. that way, you will actually get used to the transition rather than having to force yourself into it.

If you consider sugar as poison, maybe you will start losing weight faster and become a healthier person. Yes, please quit cold turkey. Sugar can raise triglycerides and cholesterol, cause some cancers and feeds yeast infections. Sugar exacerbates Bi-Polar Disorder, ADHD, and diabetes to name a few. Sugar can damage the pancreas, the heart, the kidney. The major risks are high levels of triglycerides (fat in the blood), cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, stress and lack of exercise all which can cause heart disease. Remove all sodium from your diet and also sugar I always tell people "Why worry about being killed by terrorists when Sugar can kill you 1st". Americans consume sugar in excessive amounts and eat very little fiber and they need a wake up call. Good luck, and once you do it you will thank yourself.

I've gone both ways with this and I find that gradually shifting is a lot easier. I buy a lot of fruit and work toward having that first - and easy things, like berries or an apple, something I don't have to take much time with like peeling an orange or dealing with drippy juicy peaches, because if it takes too long I'm more likely to grab a candy bar.

I then save the chocolates for dessert, and then just have a little bit - savoring it and not gobbling it down.

Going cold turkey I was irritable and frustrated, crabby. It wasn't fun for me or people around me.

I wish it was true to break the habit of sugar over 4 weeks- realities are been doing this journey almost decade.. Years and years later- depending what foods I try- the habit is never dead..

This why I eat from the base up home make food and am at the point of giving up social eating -as one trip eaching out at the mercy of another cook or social occassion can unravel all my hard work missing it..

I can stop myself but many others can't.. Don't want to excit your taste buds- wean off it and don't eat it even occassionally or this can open a flood gate to binges and big time..

Even looking at stuff bring memories back- all the advice in the world can't chain and shackle..

Hey, So over the summer I realized I was completely addicted to sugar and flour. I needed a big chocolate bar everyday after work or I felt cranky. I couldn't just have one piece of bread, and every time I opened anything sugary or floury it would be finished by the end of the next day. Looking at my family I realized we are all the same, open a bag of cookies and its gone in 5 minutes.

So, I read up on how addictive sugar is and flour (it basically just turns straight into sugar in the body). I decided to go cold turkey. At first its hard because things have sugar that you never realized, like ketchup, all cereal, a lot of soups have flour too. By cutting out flour and sugar it forces me to be able to say no to a lot of unhealthy things, and by eating healthy food I get full really fast so I find myself eating less calories naturally.

I highly suggest going cold turkey and sticking with it for at least a month. The first few days might be hard, but soon you realize you don't crave the sweet stuff anymore and the freedom of the craving is incredible! I did it for 6 months then went to a company event and had to eat something with sugar/flour .. then went off the wagon for 2-3 months and boy did I feel gross and out of control!

I'm currently cutting the things out of my diet now, and feel great. Definitely give it a try. Its hard at first because you need to read a lot of labels (sugar has multiple names!) but after reading up on how dangerous it is for you and the feeling of freedom you get afterwards its definitely worth it!

the interesting thing is that you'll lose the taste for sugar - real food will become amazingly flavourful (all those hyperflavoured processed foods dull your tastebuds, which is why real food tends to taste bland to those on junk food diets).

Hi Everyone! I just wrote my intro on another msg board as I am new here. But I did have some questions that I thought I would post here particularily about sugar.

I have noticed recently that I have been eating a lot of sugars and fried foods, the worst things for you. And I really want to start making changes in order to start losing, but getting started is easier said than done. I have, however, gone through my cupboards and pulled out all the cookies, candy, chips, chocolate, etc. and put it out on the counter to get rid of it once and for all, but then I must have the stregnth to not bring it back in the house either.

I am well aware that my body is VERY addicted to sugar. I have become dependant on sugar and having it in my diet on a daily basis, which is not good for anyone, let alone someone who is overweight and a Type 2 Diabetic. Does anyone have any tips on how to break this? Do you think it is best to just stop cold turkey and "detox" myself of the surgary/processed foods or any other options/advice?

Thank you all for your help in advance. I look forward to hearing what your thoughts are on this. :)

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